Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

Any qualified agent will tell you that there is more to preparing your home to receive prospective buyers on tour than doing a few dishes and fluffing the couch pillows. Assessing the work that is required or should be performed before your home is 'market-ready' is a task for a qualified real estate agent. Depending on how long you've been living in your home or how well it has been maintained while you were there, the agent could recommend any number of things to prepare your home for sale including:

• Painting (exterior and/or interior)
• Landscaping the grounds
• Minor home repairs
• Small décor changes

Your realtor will want to discuss with you the best times you can be out of the home on short notice in order to show it to potential buyers. They may also warn you of seemingly small things you wouldn't think about or notice like any significant odors in the house that should be taken care off - also warn against cooking any foods with strong odors on days when they might be showing the house. A strong, unfamiliar or unpleasant smell about a home is a sure way to make a house-showing a short and useless experience for any agent.

There are certain agencies that will perform all of the requested repairs and home sale preparation for you, saving you the time, hassle, and need to know-how in order to get it done yourself. These companies often operate with no upfront costs and settle for a percentage of the home sale much like your real estate agent. Anna can get you in touch with them as well.

Once any repairs have been made and the improvements to make your home market-ready are all compete, your real estate agent should discuss with you the listing price of your home based on several factors including:

• Regional market influences
• What homes in your neighborhood have sold for recently
• The current structural condition of your home
• Any additions/special features of your home in particular
• The mortgage payoff amount you owe on the home (if any)

Of course the important part of setting the selling price for any home is finding that perfect price that isn't too expensive that potential buyers won't even bother coming to look, but isn't too low that you do not get a fair price for it. It is generally best to listen carefully to what your realtor suggests as a fair market price as long as it is set with the idea of a little 'negotiation room' in mind.